Xref: utzoo comp.sys.mac.programmer:25875 comp.sys.mac.hardware:12062 Newsgroups: oucs.mac.users,comp.sys.mac.programmer,comp.sys.mac.hardware Path: utzoo!utgpu!topix From: topix@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca (R. Munroe) Subject: Re: Floppy Disks and X-Rays Message-ID: <1991Jun13.032847.14038@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca> Organization: UTCS Public Access References: <1991Jun6.190601.616@vax.oxford.ac.uk> <1991Jun8.044915.19518@midway.uchicago.edu> <1991Jun13.005554.6874@burrhus.harvard.edu> Date: Thu, 13 Jun 1991 03:28:47 GMT In article <1991Jun13.005554.6874@burrhus.harvard.edu> kik@isr.harvard.edu (Ken Kreshtool) writes: >In article tap@iti.org (Thomas A. Phelps) writes: >>Please note that the magnetic fields which emanate from airport x-ray >>machines are not contained within the machine. I had a floppy corrupted >>when I handed it past the machine to the security person. Be very wary >> ...... > >Was it the x-rays? Was it the metal-detector? (Good advice about the dupes.) > >Ken Kreshtool >kik@wjh12.harvard.edu From what I understand, X-rays themselves do not zap the data on floppies (or other magnetic media). What does zap the data are the magnetic fields emanating from the electronic components that run the x-ray machine. These fields are not present on all machines, but there is no way to find out in advance - so caveat travellor. Bob Munroe topix@utcs.utoronto.ca